Taryn Toomey’s Lens on Mind, Body, and Spirit Shines Through in The Class

Taryn Toomey has a finely tuned method of working out that addresses the body, mind, and spirit. Known simply as The Class, her fitness program has turned workouts into something more – opportunities to break through old conditioning to occupy a more centered space within ourselves.

What makes Taryn Toomey and her method so special?

Toomey is more than a fitness entrepreneur. She is on the leading edge of wellness, using fierce intellect and deep knowledge of the human body to create a practice that ambitiously works to marry physical and mental fitness in a single exercise program.

Her program teaches us how to witness our own resistance, release emotional and physical energy – and then integrate these changes so we come out lighter, happier, and more centered.

It incorporates powerful spiritual messaging that directs and inspires participants. In a Forbes article, she stated, “Look directly at your inherited pain in the eye, while you move your body and express it — interrupt it, purge it, and breathe as you release.”

During the class, Toomey and her fellow teachers (all of whom are excellent) say things like, “I’m right here with you,” and somehow you feel that it’s really true. She supports you right through – from beginning to end.

Her style is raw, vulnerable, and very accessible.

Let’s take a look at some of the elements that make her style unique:

All photos courtesy of The Class

She celebrates the beauty and power of the body.

Much of her messaging reflects on the idea that we hold all the answers we need inside ourselves. In an In Goop Health interview she said, “our souls’ blueprints can be found within our bodies.” Toomey often speaks of dropping from the head into the body.

Our bodies store the memories, and within our bodies are all of the solutions. To move past an old, conditioned thought or feeling, we need to “flush it from the cells in the body,” in Toomey’s words.

Looking within can be hard to do … so we need a roadmap. The Class provides just that; by acknowledging and working with our bodies, we allow them to be heard.  Then, we are able to open up to their infinite wisdom.

Taryn Toomey’s class teaches students about resistance.

Taryn Toomey explains that “resistance comes from not balancing internal and external feedback.” She describes how society, longstanding conditioning, and other forces have created the framework in which we believe we know how we “should” think, feel, and behave.

That very resistance has the power to block us from our truest selves.

The format of The Class requires you to do one movement with a high degree of repetition; this certainly causes resistance! As a student, you are encouraged to become aware of the resistance. Yet you have a choice. You can choose to stop, or you can choose to continue to push through and do it anyway.

Recognizing that choice is key in mindfulness training. You develop a heightened awareness of what your mind is saying, and can consciously choose to override those thoughts.

Her method allows and encourages space for integration.

There is a continual message of connecting mind, body, and spirit. We witness our minds, work through and with our bodies, and allow our spirits to be more fully seen and felt. In this way, The Class has a yoga-like feel to it.

You don’t take yoga, you practice yoga. Similarly, you don’t take The Class, you practice it. There is something more happening. It’s not a one-and-done; there are more moving pieces, and a newer, lighter version of yourself is able to emerge with practice.

As Toomey says, when you allow “yourself time for integration, something else comes through.” There is a more connected version of yourself on the other side, that’s quite possibly more in alignment with your truest self.

Taryn Toomey offers this gift to us. And I, for one, am so grateful.

One of the silver linings of this deeply challenging time is that so many incredible programs – including The Class! – are now available to stream online at home.

Make sure you give yourself a lot of love right now. We are still going through a lot of challenging transitions. See our eight tips to incorporate into your daily life here.